KC Chiefs are one of the few teams who have a long-term quarterback

Having a quarterback is everything in the NFL. Fortunately, the KC Chiefs not only have one, but they have him for at least the next decade. 

Kansas City Chiefs fans grew accustomed to having a mediocre quarterback for quite some time. While they’d occasionally see their quarterback put up fantastic numbers, they hadn’t had the franchise guy ever since Len Dawson and he hung up the cleats in the 70s.

That all changed when the Chiefs traded up to draft Patrick Mahomes in 2017. He sat on the bench during his rookie year, but once he took over as the starter, it was clear that the Chiefs wouldn’t be in a quarterback conundrum for quite some time.

Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk noted that few teams have their long-term quarterback. The KC Chiefs fall into that group, however, along with the Bengals (Joe Burrow), Bills (Josh Allen), and Chargers (Justin Herbert). While the article’s definition of long-term was four years, I think more along the lines of five to 10 years and to be perfectly honest, I’m not sure any of these are locks to be with the teams who drafted them 10 years down the road.

In Florio’s post, he listed those three teams and mentioned that the NFC doesn’t have any teams that fall into this category. He listed the Cardinals (Kyler Murray) but said that’s not one he’s confident on. He also mentioned with the AFC that Lamar Jackson was tough to peg and I would agree. With how much Jackson relies on his legs, giving him a long-term contract is awfully risky.

The KC Chiefs are lucky to have their quarterback of the future.

Chiefs fans understand that Mahomes is a rare gift from the football gods. He took a franchise that hadn’t won much of anything to an AFC Championship Game in his first full year as a starter while also winning league MVP. The next year, despite a severe injury, he led them to three epic comebacks in the playoffs, which was capped off with a Super Bowl title at season’s end.

Mahomes is special, there’s no debating that. Knowing that the Kansas City Chiefs have their quarterback for the next decade allows them to go out and make moves at other key positions. Yes, they had to pay Mahomes big money, but he was worth every penny of it.

It is interesting to think about what other teams fall into the same category as the Chiefs do. No one else is on Mahomes’ level, that’s for sure, but will these guys be with the same team four years down the road? It’s hard to say.